[Discoveries] 11-18-08 Offering the Solution -- John 15:5

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*... apart from Me, you can do nothing. -- John 15:5*/

Are we prescribing problems or solutions?

Let me give you an example. Suppose a man comes to us and says, "I hate 
my father." (This is a pretty common discovery once people start getting 
honest with themselves.)

Suppose we say, "You need to forgive your father."

Have we offered a solution?

No. We have simply restated the problem. He hates his father. He is 
holding on to the anger and cannot release his father from his father's 
offenses (real or imaginary).

But suppose we help this man find his anger, figure out why he is angry, 
and figure out what why he is unwilling to give that anger to Jesus. 
Suppose we hold all of that up to Jesus in our honest helplessness to do 
anything apart from Him.

Now we have offered the Solution. We have brought Jesus to the place of 
need. There is a reason why this man cannot let go of his anger, and 
Jesus knows what to do with that reason.

Is forgiveness the solution? No. Jesus is the Solution. Forgiveness is 
just the outcome. By the way, the forgiveness that comes when Jesus is 
applied to the problem is far different than the teeth-clenching, 
hand-wringing, "I-just-gotta-forgive-him-whether-I-feel-like-it-or-not" 
forgiveness that comes when people mistakenly think that obedience is a 
solution. When Jesus is the Solution, forgiveness is a delight, because 
our hearts have been transformed to look like His heart.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of 
violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the 
power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by 
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